


Together

by alliaskofyou



Series: Lance Ship Week 2018 [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Hurt Lance (Voltron), Lance (Voltron) Whump, M/M, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-14 18:30:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15394845
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alliaskofyou/pseuds/alliaskofyou
Summary: Lotor thinks pushing Lance away will keep them both safe.





	Together

**Author's Note:**

> Lance Ship Week Day 1: Push/Pull

Lance has come to the conclusion that Lotor must be ignoring him on purpose. While trying to pin down the exact moment when it has started, he thinks back to the last mission. He got injured, but not too badly - nothing that a few doboshes in the pod couldn't fix.

 

He expected Lotor to be there when he woke up and stumbled out, but he was nowhere to be seen. The rest of his team was there, however they didn’t know where Lotor was. They mentioned that he might be in his room, but that it was strange he wasn’t here, as he had been camping out in the infirmary night and day, only pried away to eat and train. 

 

Lance would have gone and seen Lotor, but he was so tired, even after spending two days in the pod. He decided he would see Lotor the next day and make sure he was all right. 

 

Lance expected to see Lotor the next day in the kitchen, eating breakfast with everyone, but he didn’t show up. He wasn’t there during their training session either, and he didn’t even come by for lunch. 

 

Now, as he heads toward Lotor’s room, a place he misses dearly, he can’t help but feel anxious. Did he do something wrong? Did he upset Lotor in some way? He tries to push away the intrusive thoughts, but they persist.

 

He stops in front of Lotor’s door, hesitates, and then knocks gently.

 

“Lotor? Are you in there?”

 

The door slides open, revealing a disheveled Lotor. There are bags beneath his eyes and his hair looks unkempt. 

 

“Lotor, are you alright?” Lance reaches out to grab Lotor’s hand, but Lotor steps back. Lance glances up at Lotor's eyes - usually friendly, at least when directed toward him - and is shocked to find an icy glare instead. 

 

“What do you want, Lance?” 

 

Lance feels a surge of indignance. He’s been terribly worried about Lotor and his well being, yet Lotor seems to be annoyed at him, for a reason Lance doesn’t know.

 

“Look, if I did something wro-”

 

Lotor lets out a strangled laugh. Lance frowns. 

 

“Not everything is about you, paladin.”

 

Lance flinches at Lotor’s harsh, formal tone. Lotor hasn’t called him “paladin” since they started - well whatever they were doing. Annoyance overtakes Lance.

 

“Listen, jackass, I was worried about you. You haven’t shown your face in two days.”

 

“That’s nothing you need to be concerned with. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” Lotor retorts icily. 

 

Lance knows he needs to step down and speak calmly, take deep breaths and start over, but he is thoroughly pissed. “I don’t know what crawled up your ass and died there, but I care about you and-”

 

“I didn’t ask you to.” 

 

Lance stops, dumbfounded. “Excuse me?”

 

Lotor sneers. “I didn’t ask you to. I don’t need you. In fact, I would very much appreciate it if you would leave me alone.” 

 

Lance staggers back over the threshold, feeling as if he’s been punched in the gut. He knew that what Lotor and he had was fragile. It was new and foreign to both of them. They were taking things slow and beginning to truly get to know each other. Or at least Lance thought they were.

 

But as the door to Lotor’s room slides shut and Lance is left staring at it, he can’t help but feel he’s imagined all the progress they had made. It’s as if Lotor is as hostile as Lance was to him when they first met. He walks aimlessly back to his room, running into Hunk on the way. 

 

“Lance? Are you all right?”

 

Lance takes one look at his best friend and the tears fall. He shakes his head and collapses into Hunk’s awaiting arms. 

  
  


\---

 

Lotor slumps against the wall of his bedroom and buries his face in his hands. He hates the devastated look Lance gave him as the doors closed, but he knows his words were necessary. Their relationship has to end.

 

Seeing Lance lifeless and bleeding, sword buried in his upper thigh, Lotor felt powerless, and he hates feeling powerless. Almost as much as he hates himself for the pain this separation will cause both Lance and him. But it’s necessary. They are in a war. It is almost inevitable that one of them will die. The easiest way to ensure the least damage possible is to nip whatever they had blooming before it can fully grow.

 

Lotor knows this and yet, it still hurts so badly.

 

\---

 

Lance has been dutifully ignoring him. Everytime Lotor enters the room, Lance is eager to leave. He never looks at him, never addresses him. It’s as if Lotor doesn’t even exist in Lance’s world. Lotor knows this is what he wanted, what he needed, but it doesn’t make it any less painful. 

 

He sees Lance in the hallway, walking to the showers. He’s desperate to talk to him, and as their eyes meet, he opens his mouth to say something, anything, but then the alarms are blaring and Allura’s voice is steady over the intercom. 

 

“Paladins, get to your Lions immediately. We have an urgent distress call coming from one of the planets in our coalition.”

 

Lance holds Lotor’s stare for just one more moment before he’s sprinting in the direction of his Lion.

 

“Please be safe,” Lotor whispers to the echoing silence of the hallway. 

 

\---

 

Lotor paces back and forth, panicking as Lance's coms stays quiet. The other paladins have no idea where he is, and the answering silence is extremely disturbing. Coran searches desperately to ensure the connection is secure and working.

 

Finally, there’s a shaky response: “I-I’m here.” 

 

Lotor breathes a sigh of relief, but it gets caught in his throat as he hears the rattling breath Lance takes next.

 

“I’m hurt pretty badly, but I’ve made it back to Red.”

 

“Have her take you back,” Lotor commands. His terror is palpable in his quivering voice. 

 

“Coran, I’m going to need a pod.” Lance continues to ignore Lotor and Lotor feels the wound in his chest - the wound that Lance’s absence has caused - deepen. 

 

“We’ll have it ready. Lotor go and meet Lan-”

 

“No!” Lance yelps. “I can handle it myself.”

 

“Don’t be so stubborn,” Lotor snaps, already running to the hangar. He hears a distant curse directed his way, but can’t find the energy to care about Lance’s unhappiness with him when his wounds could be fatal. 

 

He makes it to the hangar in record time, just as Red flies in. Red immediately opens her jaw, allowing him in, knowing her paladin is in danger. He stills at the sight before him. There’s blood all over the cockpit, dripping from the seat and pooling onto the floor. Lance has a gaping wound in his side and he holds it, pressing a shaky hand into it. 

 

Lance tries to stand but falls back with a cry. Lotor rushes to his side, picking him up and carrying him with ease.

 

Lance growls. “I don’t need your help.”  

 

“I beg to differ,” Lotor argues. “Now be quiet and save your strength.” 

 

Lance’s face is pale and he hangs stiffly in Lotor’s arms, making it quite clear that this is not where he would like to be. 

 

“Why do you even care?” Lance coughs and blood dribbles out his mouth. Lotor picks up his pace. 

 

“Please tell me you aren’t  _ that _ daft.” Lotor murmurs, adjusting his grip on Lance.

 

“You’re the one that told me you didn’t want me!” Lance snaps. 

 

Lotor chuckles darkly: “I never said I didn’t want you. I always want you, Lance. You mean- I care about you deeply.” Lotor’s voice softens.

 

He looks at Lance and tries to convey sincerity in his gaze. Lance’s eyes start to drift close. He tilts Lance so that Lance’s head rests on his shoulder. Lance tries to fight it, but his weak body gives in. 

 

“You’re lying. Stop lying. I might die and the last words you’ll say to me will be a lie.”

 

“Don’t talk like that.” Lotor chastises. He breathes a sigh of relief as he approaches a pod. He eases Lance into it and presses a gentle kiss on his forehead. “You are going to make it. Promise me.” Lotor squeezes Lance’s hand. 

 

Lance looks up at him with weary eyes. He blinks slowly as the door closes. Lotor just barely catches the mumbled words. “I promise.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Mor for beta-ing this for me! : ) 
> 
> Let me know what you think! <3  
> I have opened commissions! [Bay's Ko-Fi](http://alliaskofyou.tumblr.com/post/176322514333/buy-bayleigh-a-coffee-ko-ficombayleigh)


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